Breast cancer and low grade inflammation

Inflammation increase the risk of cancer particularly breast cancer as an initiator or promoter (Hung RJ, et al. 2015).

A study of 49,258 Swedish women indicated that a pro-inflammatory diet increased the risk of developing breast cancer especially in postmenopausal women (Shivappa N, et al. 2015).

Why does inflammation stimulate cancer growth?

Acute inflammation is protective and involved in the healing of injuries as well as preventing infections.

Chronic low grade inflammation on the other hand can lead to a variety of diseases cancer being one (Aggarwal BB, et al. 2006).

Several pro-inflammatory cytokines have been identified being involved in the suppression of apoptosis (regulated cell death), invasion and metastasis.

There are several ways the diet can trigger inflammation.

One way it can do it which is very interesting and unknown to many, is by a substance called Neu5Gc which is not produced by humans anymore, but is found in dietary sources from animals especially in red meat and milk products (Hedlund M, et al. 2008).

Our bodies produce antibodies to Neu5Gc, human tumors accumulate Neu5Gc, and the resulting low grade inflammation stimulates tumor growth ( Hedlund M, et al. 2008).

It has been proposed that maybe tumors have antigens because they don’t develop in the absence of at least a minimal immune reaction (inflammatory reaction) (Phren RT, Phren LM, 2008).

Now you have even more reasons to incorporate a plant based diet.

I will review more research related to this topic.

Learn to Eat:  

Recommendations that work. This is not a regular diet program.

Aggarwal BB¹, Shishodia S, Sandur SK, Pandey MK, Sethi G. Inflammation and cancer: how hot is the link? Biochem Pharmacol. 2006 Nov 30;72(11):1605-21. Epub 2006 Aug 4.

Hedlund M¹, Padler-Karavani V, Varki NM, Varki A. Evidence for a human-specific mechanism for diet and antibody-mediated inflammation in carcinoma progression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Dec 2;105(48):18936-41. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0803943105. Epub 2008 Nov 18.

Hung RJ¹, Ulrich CM², Goode EL², Brhane Y², Muir K², Chan AT², Marchand LL², Schildkraut J², Witte JS², Eeles R², Boffetta P², Spitz MR², Poirier JG², Rider DN², Fridley BL², Chen Z², Haiman C², Schumacher F², Easton DF², Landi MT², Brennan P², Houlston R², Christiani DC², Field JK², Bickeböller H², Risch A², Kote-Jarai Z², Wiklund F², Grönberg H², Chanock S², Berndt SI², Kraft P², Lindström S², Al Olama AA², Song H², Phelan C², Wentzensen N², Peters U², Slattery ML²; for GECCO, Sellers TA²; for FOCI, Casey G², Gruber SB²; for CORECT, Hunter DJ²; for DRIVE, Amos CI², Henderson B²; GAME-ON Network. Cross Cancer Genomic Investigation of Inflammation Pathway for Five Common Cancers: Lung, Ovary, Prostate, Breast, and Colorectal Cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2015 Aug 29;107(11). pii: djv246. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djv246. Print 2015 Nov.

Prehn RT¹, Prehn LM. The flip side of immune surveillance: immune dependency. Immunol Rev. 2008 Apr;222:341-56. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065X.2008.00609.x.

Shivappa N^1,2, Sandin S³, Löf M⁴, Hébert JR^1,2, Adami HO^3,5, Weiderpass E^3,6,7,8. Prospective study of dietary inflammatory index and risk of breast cancer in Swedish women. Br J Cancer. 2015 Sep 3. doi: 10.1038/bjc.2015.304. [Epub ahead of print]